How will the Medicine interviews work?

• Our in-person Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) for home candidates will consist of six separate stations. You will physically move around a numbered circuit of stations set up in a large room; each station will include 2 minutes of preparation time and 6 minutes of interview time. A bell or buzzer will sound when it is time to move to the next station (see below for those with additional needs who may require additional preparation time). 
• The six stations will include:
  
  • Commitment and Insight
  • Dealing with personal and ethical challenges
  • Critical Thinking
  • Data interpretation
  • Role-Play
  • Calculation
• The calculation station will be conducted on a laptop that will be provided and set up for you.
• All other stations will involve an interviewer or a role-player.
• There may also be an observer present in addition to the interviewer, but they will not play any part in assessing you.
• More information on the format and focus of each station can be found on our website. 
• There will be two cycles taking place simultaneously (at registration you will be allocated to either Cycle A or Cycle B).
• Your interview will therefore last approximately 50-60 minutes and you should allow around 2 hours in total for your time at Birmingham Medical School.

• Please report to the main reception at Birmingham Medical School when you arrive. You will be directed to a waiting area and you will be collected at your interview time and taken to the interview rooms in time to receive a briefing before the first station commences. You will be able to leave bags and coats in the interview room, but we do not have a secure storage facility, so please do not bring valuable items that you cannot easily carry around with you.
• Please ensure you bring photo ID with you such as your passport or driver’s license.
• Please ensure all mobile phones and any other smart or recording devices are turned off; recording any aspect of your interview is not permitted.
• You may bring a water bottle with you, but no other food or drink may be consumed in the interview rooms.

It is important to arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled interview time. If you are late, we may not be able to interview you.

If something disrupts your interview on the day or you are unable to complete your interview, please inform the interviewer at your current station or the member of staff overseeing the interviews.

• If you are hearing impaired, please contact us in plenty of time before your interview to discuss the options that may be available.
• If you have a condition, such as dyslexia, which normally allows you additional time in exams, we can allocate you to a dedicated interview session that will allow you additional preparation time. You need to provide us with evidence of this before January.
• If you have another disability or require adjustments not mentioned above, please contact us in plenty of time to discuss the options that may be available.

• Check that your desktop/ laptop webcam, microphone and video call connection work well in good time before your interview. Please do not use your mobile phone for the interview.
• Make sure your Zoom call details (from your interview confirmation email) and your UCAS ID are saved somewhere safe.
• Create an account on www.Zoom.us and ensure that Zoom is installed onto your device. The interview link will not work if you are not signed into Zoom. You will need to edit your name to show your full name and your UCAS ID – just in case someone of the same name or a similar name is in the same interview slot as yourself. You can do this by going onto your profile in Zoom and clicking ‘edit’.
• Ensure that you have valid photo ID with you ready to show us on the day. If you do not have a photo ID, please do let us know at least one week before your interview so that we can verify you in another way. If we cannot verify you, we will not be able to interview you.
• Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview.

• Your interview will take place via Zoom and will last for no longer than 30 minutes.
• We will still be operating a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, but with two stations rather than six. The two stations will include a role play station and one other station chosen from the list of those used for in-person MMIs (see above). You could be in either of these stations first and you will spend 10 minutes in each station, which will comprise 2 minutes preparation time, 6 minutes for the interview and 2 minutes waiting to be moved so that your next station can begin.
• You will be joined by two interviewers in each station.

We recommend that you log into your Zoom call at least one minute before your interview, to ensure that you can join on time. If you are running late, or arrive late, we may be able to reschedule your interview, but we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

• If anything minor disrupts your interview on the day, such as a dip in internet speed or a loud noise coming from outside, then the people interviewing you will make this clear on their mark sheet, which may assist us when we start to make offers.
• If something major disrupts your interview on the day, please do email us at the earliest opportunity. We would need to confirm this with your set of interviewers and reschedule your interview to a different time with a new set of questions.
• We recommend that you check your internet speed, webcam and microphone prior to your interview so that you can rectify any issues that may arise.

Please do speak to your school as they may be able to assist. You are responsible for identifying an appropriate place to undertake the interview.

If your country does not allow you to create a Zoom account, please email us as soon as possible, stating which country you are interviewing from, and we will explore other options with you. 

• To ensure we are interviewing the correct person, we do ask that you have your camera on at all times.
• If you wish, you are welcome to change your Zoom background or pin a plain sheet behind you so that your background is indistinguishable. However, please be reassured that interviewers will not take any account of your background.

• If you are visually impaired and you require support logging into Zoom on the day, you are welcome to have someone to assist you. That person is also welcome to assist you in any reading task.
• If you are hearing impaired, please contact us before your interview to discuss your options.
• If you have a condition such as dyslexia which normally allows you additional time in exams, you must provide us with evidence of this at least one week before your interview so that we can make a note of it to inform interviewers. Once in the interview, please remind your interviewers verbally that you require 2 and a half minutes of preparation time rather than the standard 2 minutes.

• If you do not have a valid photo ID such as a passport or drivers license, please contact us no later than one week before your interview so that we can find an alternative way to verify you.
• Your photo ID does not have to be in date, but it must be the original document (not a photocopy) and display the same name as on your UCAS application.

If you feel you have been unfairly treated, please email us as soon as possible and we will be happy to investigate and assist where appropriate.

• We will only consider rescheduling an interview for a very significant and unexpected reason, such as illness, hospitalisation or attending a funeral. Evidence will normally be required.
• We will not accept clashes with school-based or mock examinations as a reason for rescheduling.
• Due to the volume of candidates we are interviewing, if we are able to reschedule your interview, it is likely that any new date or time will be given at very short notice.

Please contact med-admissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk at least one week before your interview.

You should find out whether you have received an offer to study with us in March, when all of our interviews have concluded and the interview scores have been ranked.